


centrifugal motion

by ameliajessica



Category: The X-Files
Genre: Do I Ever Write Anything Else, F/M, First Kiss, Kissing, all the kissing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-02-25
Updated: 2017-02-25
Packaged: 2018-09-26 21:52:57
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,459
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9923723
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ameliajessica/pseuds/ameliajessica
Summary: Five reasons Mulder and Scully kiss. Around S1.





	

**Author's Note:**

  * For [bethanyactually](https://archiveofourown.org/users/bethanyactually/gifts).



> honestly I don't even know what this is - I have other fic I need to be writing. BUT, to convince myself that I am a competent writer, who even likes her own work sometimes, I was going through my fanfiction folders and found this old gem I wrote while I was in S1 of the x-files. I don't really know what inspired it other than: kisses are good and these two are stupid cute. anyway.
> 
> I'm dedicating this to bethany, because she's an absolute star who supports my procrastinating fic ass and is one of the, thankfully, many people who keep me going. I feel so lucky to have her as a reader, and as a friend.
> 
> ps. yes the title is a lyric from a faith hill song, I know what I'm about

**I.**

 

 

**He nearly dies.**

She’s pacing, pacing, pacing. The team in the warehouse had told her to stay back, but they didn’t specify how far, and after taking one look at her they didn’t seem to think that asking her to go farther was a good idea.

But Mulder comes out. Holding onto the shoulders of two SWAT agents, but he’s coming out. And he’s alive. They basically let go of him as his knees give out and drag him towards the ground.

She swoops in front of him dismissing the other agents, pushing his hair back to check for any injuries, or just because she can, because he’s still here.

He finally opens his eyes enough to see that it’s her. “Scully,” he breathes out in awe. “You’re – you’re out here.”

“Yeah, they made me come out.”

“I was looking for you.”

Her heart twists – _Mulder._ A dangerous man in a warehouse. And Mulder in there. In there – in there looking for her. “I was waiting for you,” she says, not without guilt. “Out here.” And it feels right to say, “I’m sorry.”

“Scully,” he laughs, and it’s so good to hear him laugh, “oh Scully, I’m so happy you’re alive.”

Scully’s about to tease him, like she always does when he says crap like that, but he leans forward, smiling through the clumsy kiss he captures her lips in. One of his hands goes to her jaw to steady her, but he doesn’t give her time to respond, passing out against her shoulder almost immediately after. If any of the other agents saw, it appears they didn’t think it anything but completely normal.

Their first kiss goes unnoticed.

 

 

**II.**

 

**She nearly dies.**

He’s got to stop this from happening. It’s not good for him – it takes him out of the case, of everything and he’s not used to that being possible. It always used to just that – the work. Then Scully was part of the work, and now she’s just Scully; he was only able to do the work with her there.

The only way he could do anything was with her there.

But she’s alive.

When he finds her, curled up and handcuffed to a radiator, he thinks about how small she is.

“Mulder,” croaks Scully, reaching for him.

“God, Scully,” he whispers, burying her face in her hair. Lost in his relief, he pulls away and kisses her fervently. He feels her hands ball into tiny fists on his shoulders, clutching at his jacket, and she kisses him back, and it feels amazing because she’s _Scully_ , and there’s no better way of checking she’s alive, than this. He can feel her wild heartbeat, the heat in her cheeks and the exhale across his own mouth.

He’s shaking so much that he has to pull back, holding her face in her hands and pressing his forehead against hers. His breathing just gets more ragged, and it occurs to him that he may be going into shock.

“Mulder,” she mumbles. “Mulder, I’m okay.”

“I’m not,” he tries to joke, but the words get stuck in his throat. “Scully, I’m—”

“Don’t even say it.” She shakes her head. “Just... get me out of here.”

*

In the car ride back, his face is passive but she knows when his blankness is the outward sign of a mind working overtime rather than cool, collected confidence. Only she knows.

One of his hands covers his mouth, shaking still. Scully takes the other, and when his head snaps to her, she sees the naked relief on his face all over again to see her. 

Eyes closed, he holds his hand in both of his, and when she looks away, out the window, she feels him press an ardent kiss to her knuckle. S

The two agents driving them back chatter loudly in the front seat the rest of the way home, but all Dana can hear is the patter of rain against the roof, and her pulse pounding in her ears.

 

 

**III.**

 

 

 **He's being stupid.**  
  
“You _can’t_ ,” she says, sounding a little helpless.

“I can, and I will,” he says in his infamous monotone. And it’s final. Authoritarian. Like she is outranked.

 “Mulder, why do you always have to do this?” she demands. “Why do you – _always –_ why can’t you just –”

“Scully,” he says, “you can leave.” And he doesn’t mean just the office, right now – he means The X-Files, as if that’s even an option for her at this point. “Nothing is keeping you here. This isn’t your work.”

And now she’s furious – not just because she’ll be damned if this _isn’t_ her work, who does he think she is? (But also, “nothing is keeping her here”? Is he really this stupid?).

“It doesn’t have to be yours,” she says. “Not this one. It’s not safe, and the bureau’ll –”

He scoffs. “They’d never –”

“Nothing is tying you _there_ ,” she says softly.

“ _Everything_ is tying me there,” he says hotly. He stands over her. “Scully, this is – always – how _I_ am –”

It’s easy, now, to lean up, press a small kiss on his mouth. It’s so casual she doesn’t even close her eyes all the way.

But he does - his instinct seems to be to chase her, lengthening the kiss, even as he’s still frowning. Even as he’s still mad at her.

But he seems less mad, letting out a shuddering breath and cupping her face. It curls her insides, the way he can’t get enough of her.

“I won’t go,” he murmurs, starting to smile a little. “If it means – I don’t have to go. I won’t.”

She thinks of how much it scares her – the way they need each other – as she walks him back to a wall.

 

 

 

**IV.**

 

**She’s being too logical.**

­­They’re breathing heavily and he kisses her. “You’re so...” he says, not without anger, and almost as if he’s trying to calm himself down, he presses his lips to hers, and it feels strange. Because the feel of her, so small and warm and real and angry in his arms, is a reminder of why he likes her at all. The fierceness of her. But then he doesn’t blame her for struggling to believe either. She’s not stubborn – she’s smart. Too smart.

Mulder has always thought you need to be a little stupid to want to go after this stuff.

Scully’s angry too. He can tell by the fist in his hair, the bite on his lip, the push of her hips against his (which is working wonders, or atrocities, depending on your point of view – judging by her persistence, hers is the former).

They’re always like this – fighting to pull the other to their side.

But this – hands in hair, clutching at clothes, is me­­­eting in the middle, and they’re better at this than maybe either of them thought.

 

 

 

**V.**

 

**She's jealous.**

Dana Scully – jealous. And over Spooky Mulder.

 _Why, exactly, did he have to have so many old flames?_ She thought, angrily reaching for a coffee cup.

“Everything okay?” he says brightly, hands in his pockets.

“Fine,” she replies quickly.

“Cool,” he says distractedly, and she hates it, that he can be like this when there’s a new case. Nothing else matters, certainly not her. Unless it’s to help him, of course.

“So I thought we could head off now, buy lunch on the road? I know you hate airplane food...” He carries on, taking the cup out of her hand easily and puts in exactly as much cream and sugar she likes, keeping eye contact. Her heart feels full, and she feels stupid.

Blonde hair, arm-touches-when-she-giggles looks over, just as he puts the drink in her hand. Scully feels a possessive surge lift her to her tip-toes, to kiss his cheek. When she pulls back, Mulder looks like a startled deer, blinking twice. “Thanks,” she says, and then, realising what she’s done, her face flushes and she looks down.

Out of the corner of her eye, she sees Mulder glance over at _BHATWSG_ , then back at her with a small, pleased smile, and Scully’s all the more mortified. “So, we’re –” she starts to say, but his mouth touches hers in a delicate kiss, her bottom lip gently but deliberately pulled between his teeth.

“You’re welcome,” he murmurs, leading her out with a hand on the small of her back.

Scully looks back, but BHATWSG is carefree, laughing even more closely with the pretty secretary, and she feels all the more stupid and relieved at the same time. Mulder carries himself with smug satisfaction all the way to the car. When their eyes meet over the top of it, his grin widens and he raises his eyebrows.

“Shut up,” she says, but she’s laughing.


End file.
